JULY 2018 91
that operates largely under the
mainstream media radar compared
with the activities of major airlines.
Much of the headline focus in
recent years has been around Qantas
and Virgin MROs in Brisbane, Sydney
and Melbourne, and controversy
around a shift of some heavy
maintenance to offshore contractors,
involving claim and counter-claim
about labour costs, de-skilling, and
safety issues.
That has served to exclude a
genuine success story: the growth
in MROs catering for turboprop,
business jet and rotorcraft fleets allied
to charter companies, businesses and
individuals.
It includes key players such as
Hawker Pacific, BAE Systems and
Airflite, as well as specialists lesser-
known to the wider community such
as Flying Colours (the aircraft painters
based in Townsville), or helicopter-
specific operators such as ProRotor
based on the Sunshine Coast.
It’s a competitive business. A
recent comprehensive University
of New South Wales report into the
future of MROs in Australia, backed
by the Australian Research Council,
identified more than 260 MROs
dealing with the general aviation
sector and a further 84 third party
MROs involved in work on both
general aviation and larger aircraft
types, including componentry and as
agents for OEMs.
ExecuJet recognised potential in
the Australian market in 2000: aunique combination of the nation’s
long distance geography between
major service centres, the projected
sustained growth of air traffic
alongside general economic growth
in the Asia Pacific, and at that time a
relative shortage of MRO operators
working in its particular, business jet
service niche.
It took just three years from start-
up in Johannesburg in 1991, with
just a single Learjet, for ExecuJet to
convert recognition of a gap in the
South African corporate jet service
sector to a fully integrated turnkey
business in conjunction with a
Bombardier aircraft sales franchise.
From there, growth has been
exponential. Now headquartered in
Zurich, ExecuJet operates in Africa,ExecuJet MRO
‘Yes, really
optimistic.
More than at
any time in
past months.’
GRANT INGALL